25/09/2008
NEWS STORY
McLaren test driver Pedro de la Rosa, a leading light (no pun intended) in the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, is confident that should it rain over the Singapore Grand Prix weekend - which it surely will - it will not be a problem and safety will not be compromised.
While the authorities maintain that drivers will barely notice the fact that, thanks to the 'bright as day' lighting system, they are racing at night, other than the fact they are having to seriously adjust their body clocks, there have been fears that rainfall - typical at this time of the year in this region - could cause problems.
However, de la Rosa, who last raced in 2006, when he replaced Juan Pablo Montoya in the second half of the season at McLaren, is confident that providing we don't witness a Monsoon-style storm, everything should be OK.
"The bottom line is, if it's not raining, we are 100 per cent sure that it will be fine," the Spaniard told reporters in Singapore, according to The Times. "There will be no issues.
"People talk a lot about the tunnel at Monaco," he continued, "but when you are driving, you don't even notice it. If it rains, we don't know because no one has tried it. But if we have enough light, it should act in the same way as if it's raining in daylight. I don't see it being dangerous."
With Bernie Ecclestone seeking further night races in his attempt to have the best of both worlds, Government money in the East and healthy TV revenue in the West, Singapore is widely regarded as an experiment.
"At the GPDA, we have not expressed our concerns because we are quite comfortable with it," said de la Rosa. "I think it's a great idea, we just have to adapt to it. There will be more in the future, so we have to make sure we get it right.
"This is the first one and we are not sure what we will find, but the information that Charlie Whiting has given to us is very positive, so we don't see any problems. I'm sure the second race will be better, but, as a start, this should be fine."